Method of manufacturing belts



F. GILARDINI.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING BELTS. -APPLICATION FILED APR. 10, 1919.

1,360,923. Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I F. GILARDINI.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING BELTS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10, 1919.

'1 360,923. Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

.iSHEETS-SHEET 2. :1

FELICE GILARDINI, or TURIN, ITALY."

' Mnrnon or MANUFACTURING BELTS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Nov, 30, 192a Application fild April 10, 1919. Serial No. 289,094.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FELICE GILARDINI, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Turin, Italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Manufacturing Belts; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de-- scription of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains' to'make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to the method of manufacturing belts for the transmission of motion in machinery, and has for its object to produce beltsthat are not liable to stretch during use and possessing greater tensile strength than belts heretofore known.

The present application is a continuation in part of my application filed April 6, 1918, Serial Number 227051 now Patent 1,309,066, dated July 8, 1919, and the method consists chiefly in tanning the hides or skins only in successive sections separated by narrow parts, which are unprepared but highly compressed, the tanning and compression operation being eii'ected while the hides or skins are kept under the utmost tension. It

would also be possible to obtain a belt having the abovenamed qualities by superiicially tanning the parts extending between the tanned ones with fats or the like, in order that the belt may be used advantageously even in wet places. For the same purpose, it would be advantageous to soak the skin. before stretching it, in a tan liquor,

preferably constituted by a mineral solution,

which penetrates in a very small quantity the flesh as well as the hair side of the skin.

This belt is illustrated, by way of example and diagrammatically in the annexed draw,-

ln n. V V

Figures land 2 are respectively a plan view and a section of the belt, in which the tanned parts are circular.

Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views of a belt of the present type, in which the tanned parts are of rectangular form.

l Figs. 5 and 6 show belts of the present type put on a pulley in order to show their advantages- Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic View of a hlde stretching apparatus, on which is mounted a frame; Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view of a series of frames immersed in a tanning vat; F ig. 9 is a diagrammatic section of a tanning drum, and Figs. 10 and 11 are respectively, a section and a plan view of a hide portion, stretched between grates.

The rectangular piece of theskin called the butt is used for this belt as it is the general rule in the processes already known when belts of good quality are to be produced. Said butt is manner by cutting a rectangular piece in the best and central part of the raw skin.

The butt, either in one piece or cut, as it is preferable, in two, three or more lengths, is placed in a stretching device, drawn to the utmost tension and kept in this condition. An apparatus of this type is shown diagrammatically and by way of example in. Fig. 7. Said apparatus consists of a frame having two heads 1 and 2 suitably secured to a body (notshown) and two guides and attached to the corresponding ends of the heads. On these guides slides a crossbar 5 provided centrally with a screw 6 and hook 7. The screw 6 passes through a hole 8 in the head 2 and the nut 9, provided with handles 10, is screwed on the screw 6. The head 1 is also provided with a central hook 7. The hide-stretching device is attached to the hooks 7 by means of eyelets 11. Said device consists of a fixed and a movable clamp, 12 and 18, the latter of which is adapted to slide along two guides 14 as far as the clamp 12. The hide 15 is secured in the clamps by means of winged nuts 16, it is .65 obtained in the usual vats 21 (as shown in Fig. 8) where 22 shows diagrammatically the device supported by cross-bars 23, or, in order to accelerate the operation, in drums as shown in cross-section in Fig. 9. 24 is the drum, on the bottoms of which is conveniently supported the axle '25, whereon are mounted within the drum two or more wheels 26. On the rim and hub ofsaid wheels and in correspondence with the bisector of the angle formed by two spokes 27 are provided the notches.

28 in which the proj ectingends of'the guides 14 are heldby means of suitable clamps...

When the tanning operation has been effected, according to any, desired process, the washing with running water will be carried on, the hides being still kept in the stretched condition; thereupon the gradual drying operation will take: place, further the dressing, and then the treatment with grease, using the usual' substances (for instance'oils, degras,'tallow, and the like),

either bysoaking or preferably by stufling I or in anyotherknown way. The hides are then slowing dried until quite dry and, finally taken off the frame and hammered,

or preferably rolled. The manufacture-of belts obtained from this leather 'will then take place in' the usual way, cutting'the butts in more or less-wide strips according to the desired thickness and size of thebelts and effecting the several following well known operations.

The beltsobtained by'this process are therefore constituted by tanned parts separated by unprepared but strongly com pressed parts. Now it is well knownthat the unprepared but strongly compressed hide or skinacquires a high resistance, equal to 7 or 81:. per mm. of breaking load,

while the tanned skin has a -maximum tensile strength of?) to k. per mmF, and

undergoes a remarkable elongation. As the v tanned parts in this belt are separated by unprepared ones, the belt will not be stretched in a noticeable degree, owing to the stiffness of'the unprepared'parts, while the pliancy of the tanned parts will allow the fitting of the belt on the pulleys, as it appears clearly from Figs. 5 and 6; moreover, the belts have a greater tensile strength than thebelts known heretofore. This belt shows moreover, the advantage of a proper grip of the pulley produced by the tanned parts which are of greater thickness than the unprepared ones (see Figs. 2,3, 5, and 6); its working may be compared to a Galls chain or similar chain having numerous links joined side byside,

the stiff unprepared partswould-correspond to the links of the chain and the supple partstothez'joints. The roughness of the belt surface that lies on and adheres to the pulleyonly with the tanned parts produces sioned hideunder pressure, and tanning the unpressed sections of the hide.

3. Themethod-of anufacturing leather belts, which comprises subjectingthe raw hide to. tension, compressing thetensioned hide between grates,- and tanning "the hide through the openings of the grates 4:. The method: of manufacturingleather belts, which comprises, subjecting the raw hide to tension, 'compresslng portions ofthe tensioned hide, xsubjecting theiunpressed portions of the hide to a tanning solution,

and subjecting the compressed portions to a superficial tanning. I

5. The method of manufacturing leather belts, which compr1ses subjecting the raw hide to tension, compressing portions of the tensioned hide, subjecting the unpressed portions of the hlde to a tanning solution,

and subjecting the compressed portions to a superficial tanning on both s1des.

'6. The method of manufacturingleather belts which comprises soaking the butt in a mineral solution, cutting the soaked butt into strips, stretching the strips, pressing the stretched strips between grates, and tanning the strips through the openings of the grate. I V

7. The method of manufacturing leather belts which comprises soaking the butt in a mineral solution, cutting the soaked butt 1 into strips, stretchingthe strips, pressing the stretched strips between grates, tanning the strips through the openings of the grate, removing the grates, V and subjecting the compressed parts on both sides to a superficial tanning. w i

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name.

FELIGE GILARDINI. 

